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Georgetown to Mount Vernon

Michael Portillo continues his US adventure. Heading south to Alexandria, Virginia, he explores a former slave market. He ends this leg in Mount Vernon.

Armed with his 1879 edition of Appleton's General Guide to the United States, Michael Portillo continues his American railroad journey.

On this leg, Michael soaks up some old-school jazz in Washington's U Street neighbourhood, where the big band jazz king Duke Ellington was born and began his career. He also grabs a bite at Ben's Chili Bowl, the legendary diner chosen by President Obama for a snack before his inauguration. He follows his guidebook to the United States Naval Observatory, the nation's timekeeper, where he discovers how and why the railroads established four time zones across the continent in 1883.

Heading south to Alexandria in Virginia, Michael explores a former slave market and hears how African-Americans were bought and sold. He ends this leg in Mount Vernon, the palladian home of the nation's first president George Washington, where he gets into a spot of bother at an archaeological dig.

29 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Michael Portillo
Executive Producer John Comerford
Series Producer Alison Kreps
Production Company Boundless Productions

Broadcasts

Steam Railways: Watch programmes from the archive collection

Shows from the 麻豆官网首页入口 archives celebrating the beauty of locomotives.